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Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic ( Italian : Repubblica Italiana), is a country in Southern Europe . North bordering Italy to France , Switzerland , Austria and Slovenia .The rest of the country is surrounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea , the Mediterranean Sea , the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea . The islands of Sicily , Sardinia and Elba and several smaller islands are also part of Italy. A large part of the mainland of Italy is located in the Apennine peninsula , surrounded by water. Due to the elongated shape, the country is also referred to as the "boot".''In an area of 300,000 km² live 61,482,297 (2013) Italians. The capital of the country is Rome ''(Roma). The independent states Vatican , the pope is the head, and San Marino are two enclaves within the Italian borders. Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. Italy was in the ancient center of the Roman Empire , which became the largest empire in Europe. Later, in Italy, particularly in the region of Tuscany , the cradle of theRenaissance . On March 17, 1861 was the Italian unification place, and since the monarchy in 1946, the population was voted down , the existence of the Repubblica Italiana a fact. Present day Italy is a parliamentary republic with both a president and a prime minister in power and is represented internationally in organizations such as the European Union , the United Nations , the NATO , the WTO and the G8 . Italy is among the top ten countries in the Quality-of-life index. Content * 1 History ** 1.1 Antiquity ** 1.2 Middle Ages and present tense ** 1.3 Italian unification ** 1.4 Fascism and World War II ** 1.5 Republic * 2 Geography ** 2.1 Physical characteristics ** 2.2 Climate ** 2.3 Flora * 3 Demographics ** 3.1 Immigration *** 3.1.1 Criticism of migration ** 3.2 Language ** 3.3 Religion * 4 Politics and government ** 4.1 Polity ** 4.2 Political History ** 4.3 Administrative divisions * 5 Economics ** 5.1 activeness ** 5.2 Contradiction between North and South * 6 Art and Culture ** 6.1 Museums ** 6.2 Literature ** 6.3 Film ** 6.4 Gastronomy ** 6.5 Sport * 7 Media * 8 Education and science * 9 Traffic and transport * 10 External links History Map of the Roman Empire at its peak in the 2nd century AD. Antiquity Before the rise of the city-state of Rome , Italy was populated with a large number of nations besides the Romans were theEtruscans , Apuliërs , Latins , Ligurians , Sabines , Samnites , Bretii in the Po Valley and the Celts (Gauls). From the 8th century BC. The Greeks established colonies in southern Italy and Sicily. Roman power extended throughout Italy and then on the Iberian Peninsula . Carthage was in the 3rd and 2nd century BC. the great rival in the Mediterranean, which in 146 BC. was finally settled in the last of the three Punic Wars . Thus came the way for the rise of the Roman Empire , which for centuries the Mediterranean, the Balkans, Western Europe and parts of the Middle East dominated. To this is due in large parts of Southern and Western Europe, romance languages are spoken descended from the Latin . The Romans took the knowledge and culture of the rivals they conquered. Knowledge mainly from the Greeks and Etruscans , they would apply themselves and even improved. They themselves also brought many innovations upon architectural, military, administrative and legal services. Theiraqueducts , circuses , triumphal arches and the remains of their roads are still to be found in many places throughout Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia. Ages and present tense The Vitruvian Man of Leonardo da Vinci After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 hit Italy in decline. Rome nevertheless remained the center of the Roman Catholic Church , which would extend his influence over Europe is far and hold. Italy experienced a multitude of foreign rulers: Ostrogoths , the Eastern Roman Empire , the Lombards . In central Italy created thePapal States . In northern Italy were the Franks under Charlemagne . In the 9th and 10th centuries conquered the Arabs Sicily, where they the Emirate of Sicily founded. The Normans were called in against them. These founded in Sicily their own kingdom. In the 11th century the trade slowly pulled again. Especially overseas trade flourished in commercial cities like Amalfi , Pisa , Genoa and Venice . Dante Alighieri can with his Divine Comedy (early 14th century ) can be seen as the starting point of an Italian literary culture, distinguishable from the Latin . The Renaissance broke in Italy in the 14th century by Giotto and has affected large parts of Europe. The Italian Renaissance has great artists such as Botticelli , Michelangelo , Leonardo da Vinci , Titian and Rafaelproduced and finished in the 16th century . At the beginning of the 16th century moved the trade from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic: a result of exploration and new maritime routes to the New World, India, China and Indonesia. The immediate result was a reduction in the power of the Italian city-states. Italy became a plaything of the great powers of Spain , France and Austria , but had also required the expanding Ottoman Empire to resist. The papal authority and papal influence names in Northern Europe strongly by the Protestant Reformation . Italian unification Giuseppe Garibaldi was a key figure in the unification process The Italian political union was a lengthy process that began with the politically Congress of Vienna (1815). In 1861 the Italian state was declared, with first Turin and later Florence as its capital. Italy got a bicameral legislature with a Senate appointed by the king and an elected parliament. During the first decades of the authority of the government was undermined by the dispute between the political parties - the Liberals and radicals - and personal scandals of politicians. The most important political figures in this time were Agostino Depretis andFrancesco Crispi . The Italians were Venice in 1866 in the hands thanks to an alliance with Prussia against Austria. The relationship with the then great Papal States , who shared half the country remained difficult, so Rome after a war in 1870 to capital could be proclaimed. In the 80s of the 19th century Italy acquired the colonies Italian Eritrea and Italian Somaliland . In 1912, Italy captured after the Italian-Turkish War Libya and the Dodecanese in the Ottoman Empire , which was sealed by the Treaty of Lausanne . The universal suffrage for men was introduced on May 25, 1912 with the first elections on October 26, 1913, the women's suffrage contrast only in 1945. At the outbreak of the First World War Italy initially remained neutral. After the allied powers at the London Convention had promised generous territorial expansion, in May 1915 Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary in August 1916 and also to Germany. Militarily, the war was not a success, but in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye Italy was rewarded with Istria and Trieste , Zadar (Zara) in Dalmatia and whole South Tyrol . The South Tyrol question then remained overload the Italian-Austrian relations. Fiume (Rijeka), which was originally to open explained, was in 1919-1920 arbitrarily by the poet-politician Gabriele D'Annunzio Italy occupied. Fascism and World War II The fascist dictator Benito Mussolini , Prime Minister of Italy in the period 1922-1943 In October 1922 came Benito Mussolini , leader of the National Fascist Party , after a march on Rome to power, supported by king Victor Emmanuel III . In subsequent years, Mussolini transformed the Kingdom of Italy in a totalitarian , fascist state, of which he himself was the Duce (leader). The relationship between the Vatican and the Italian state had since the conquest of Rome has been problematic in 1870. Only in 1929, this problem was solved with the Lateran Treaty , in which the temporal power of the Pope only remained a mini-state within Rome. In 1935 it became Empire Ethiopia invaded by Mussolini , fitting into his dream of a new Roman Empire . Italy became internationally isolated and became an ally of Nazi Germany, making it the Rome-Berlin axis formed. In 1939 annexed Italy Albania and in June 1940 stated the following doubt Mussolini war on England and France. France, Greece and territories were invaded in North Africa, but only opponents were defeated with great difficulty and with German support and areas are preserved. Nevertheless, it reached Italian empire its peak in size. However, the tide began to turn when the Allies from Sicily began the Italian campaign in which they laboriously marched north. The Italian government dismissed Mussolini and made peace with the Allies and declared war on Germany and the Axis, the Allies were already in Italy still compete against Nazis and Italian fascists remaining. This led to fierce fighting and heavy damage on Italian territory. Mussolini was put in prison, but freed by the Germans. He was placed at the head of the Italian Social Republic , a puppet state in northern Italy which de facto ruled by Nazi Germany. After the last German SS units surrendered in April 1945 in Northern Italy was Mussolini by partisans arrested and killed. Total cost of the war in Italy to approximately 450,000 people, both military and civilian casualties victims and victims of the Holocaust, life. Republic After the collapse of the Fascist regime, the monarchy was questioned, especially because of the preparation of the royal family at the time of that fascist regime. In a referendum held on June 2, 1946 chose a narrow majority of the population for a polity as a democratic republic . The democratic republican constitution came into force on January 1, 1948. It provides inter alia that male descendants of the royal family in Italy no longer allowed (this provision was the government Berlusconi moreover eventually canceled in 2002 after the descendants of the royal family called on the European freedom of movement) and depriving them of the royal title. Also, the Fascist Party (PNF) is prohibited and requires the republican form can not be changed. The Italian Republic has a president ( Presidente della Repubblica Italiana ), mainly aceremonial function performs. Following that referendum was the day on which it was held since an official day as "Day of the Republic." Italy since the 50 members of NATO and from the founding member of the EC . Geography Physical characteristics Views over Lake Garda from Riva del Garda About 75% of Italy is mountainous or hilly, and roughly 20% of the land is forested. There are narrow strips of lowlands along the Adriatic coast and parts of the Tyrrheniancoast. In the north of the country lie the Alps and the Dolomites , and further stretching the Apennines out of Genoa (Genova) in the north to beyond Naples (Napoli) in the south.The highest point of the Italian Alps, the mountain Mont Blanc de Courmayeur , that 4765 meters high. This makes this mountain the highest point of Italy. The highest point of the Apennines mountain range is located in the Gran Sasso d'Italia : Mount Corno Grande is 2912 meters as the highest. The north is rich in a number of large lakes: Lake Maggiore , the Lake Como (Lago di Como), Lago d'Iseo and Garda (Lago di Garda). In the middle of Italy are still a number of lakes, of which Lake Bolsena is the largest. Important rivers are the Tiber, the Arno and the Po . Po is by far the most important: most Alpine rivers mouths from here and it is the artery of the Po Valley , the largest agricultural area and the granary of the country. Northern Italy, dominated by the Po Valley, consists of the regions of Liguria , Piedmont , Valle d'Aosta , Lombardy , Veneto and part of Emilia-Romagna (which expands in Central Italy). Gran Paradiso (4061 m), the highest mountain which lies entirely within Italy, is located in Valle d'Aosta. The Italian peninsula also consists of central Italy (Marche , Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio ) and southern Italy ( Campania , Basilicata , Abruzzo , Molise , Calabria and Puglia ). The Etna in Sicily is one of the most active volcanoes in the world Besides the famous volcano Vesuvius , which in the year 79 Pompeii destroyed, Italy has a number of active volcanoes such as Mount Etna in Sicily, Stromboli andVulcano . The capital and largest city of Italy is Rome . Some other great Italian steden zijn: Milaan (Milano), Turijn (Torino), Genua (Genova), Venetië (Venezia), Florence(Firenze), Bologna , Verona , Napels (Napoli), Ancona , Bari , Perugia , Cagliari , Catania , Messina en Palermo . The largest part of Italy is cultivated and on the grassy slopes of grazing sheep. The wide, flat Po Valley is the most fertile area. Italy possesses few natural resources and performs nearly all of its oil products. Climate The largest part of Italy has a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters . In the north it is colder than in the south. The climate there is somewhat similar to that in Belgium and Netherlands , but with colder winters and hotter summers. In the Alps and the Apennines reigns a pool / mountain climate and there is often snow. Sicily is warmer and there is less rainfall . Many winds in Italy have a name, like the Tramontana , which means "the mountains means ". This stiff, cold north wind is especially noticeable in the winter. It is a dry wind, because a lot of precipitation in the north has fallen. From the Greece -derived 'Greco' wind resembles the Tramontana, but brings more clouds and thus more precipitation along. Flora The flora of Italy is the richest in Europe. Traditionally, the number was vascular plants estimated to be around 5500 species. However, by 2004, the Data Bank of Italian vascular flora has 6,759 species. Of these, 700 are endemic . Geobotanisch shares the Italian flora in both Circumboreale area as the Mediterranean in. According to the index compiled by the Italian Ministry for Environment in 2001, there are 274 species of vascular plants protected. Demography Development of the population of Italy in the period 1861-2008 From the mid 90s , Italy had one of the first countries on the old continent a negative population growth. In other words, the number of births was lower than the number of people who died. In the last two or three years, there is again of a very low growth there. Except Rome and Palermo know the big cities declining population. Immigration Illegal immigration from southern Italian ports and beaches, including those from Albania and Turkey, is mainly in the north of Italy as a cause of rising crime. It is primarily a cross-border problem, since countries like Germany , the United Kingdom and Netherlands for many of these migrants and destination charges. Although the Italian regulations in the context of Schengen , meanwhile level, there are gaps in its implementation along the vast Italian coast. In April 2000, the Italian and the Albanian government signed an agreement on the annual admission of 5,000 Albanians in Italy. Previously, Italy has similar agreements with Tunisia and Morocco. Italy also has a large influx of migrants from the island of Lampedusa . In 2006, 485,000 applications have been made for extra-EU workers while the quota was fixed for 2006 at 170,000. The Government wants to strengthen relations with Libya and realize more EU cooperation on migration. At the informal meeting in Lahti on 20 October 2006 was this issue on the agenda. Italy supported the argument of the Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero for more EU cooperation in the field of immigration and cooperation with countries of origin and transit countries. To reduce the large influx of immigrants is a new immigration law approved in May 2009 by the Italian Parliament. This makes illegal immigration a criminal offense. Illegal stay in Italy will be punished with a fine which may range from € 5,000 million to € 10,000 and also the person in question is also expelled. 5 Criticism of migration Although Italy calls for more cooperation, there are also hear sounds that Italy set a different light. Amnesty International reports that there is no specific law that protects asylum seekers and that the current immigration laws no improvement. Also build detention camps in Libya they disapprove. More than 1425 immigrants according to Amnesty International to Libya deported. Since 2004, Libya received financial support from Italy and military equipment in exchange for stopping migrants. Italy thus helping in this way with the establishment of camps in Libya for illegal immigrants. Further recognizes Italy Amnesty inadequate asylum procedure that leads to asylum seekers are even evicted before their appeal against a refusal starts. This happened with the refugees on the German ship Cap Anamur. Initially Italy suggested that it was not responsible for examining asylum applications, since the ship had first visited Malta. But this is not the case, according to Amnesty, because the refugees in Malta had the opportunity to lodge an asylum application. The first country where the refugees have the opportunity to apply for asylum, is seen as the country that treats and then check whether it is responsible for handling the application. It is also true that underage asylum seekers are first locked up in Italy in ordinary detention camps before they reach youth camps: * 2005: 1622 of the 22 939 immigrants who reached the Italian coast, are minor; * 2006: 1335 of the 22 016 immigrants who reached the Italian coast, are minors. Language The vast majority of the population speaks Italian (including several dialects ). The Italian comes from the Latin (the language spoken by the Romans). In addition, there are languages that are spoken by only locally or minorities. Some of these languages are endangered. It involves the following languages: * Algherese dialect , a form of Catalan , is spoken in Alghero on the island of Sardinia . * Arbëresh , a form of the Albanian far different from the standard language, is spoken by the Albanians in Molise Molise . * Franco-Provençal Language is spoken in Apulia . * German is spoken by the German-speaking minority in northern Italy, the Cimbrian language . * Emiliano-Romagnolo is spoken in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy . * French is spoken in Valle d'Aosta . * Friulian is spoken in Friuli . * Gallurian , a form of the Corsican, spoken in Gallura in Sardinia . * Griko , a form of Greek , spoken in Magna Graecia . * Ladin is spoken in South Tyrol . * Ligurian spoken in Liguria . * Neapolitan spoken in Naples . * Ouddalmatisch , a form of the Croatian , is spoken by the Molise Croats in Molise. * Piedmontese is spoken in Piedmont . * Sardinian is spoken on the island of Sardinia . * Savoy is spoken in the border with France at the Savoy . * Sciliaans is spoken on the island of Sicily . * Slovenian is spoken in Gorizia . * Valdôtain dialect , a form of the Franco-Provençal Language (see Apulia), is spoken in Valle d'Aosta. * Venetian is spoken in Veneto . Religion The Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence Most Italians are Roman Catholic . Although since 1984 is no longer the state religion of Italy, has Roman Catholicism in Italy much influence on Italian culture. From a study conducted in 2006, showed that 87.8% of Italians themselves as Roman Catholic. 6 Only slightly more than a third of this group (36.8%) say they are practicing Roman Catholic . There are also further Protestant minorities such as the Waldensian including a church in Rome, but especially since 1960, there are many other religious minorities in Italy . Most Italians believe in a God or other spiritual power. In a Eurobarometer Poll 2005 7 said: * 74% of Italians that they believe there is a God; * 16% of Italians that they believe there is some sort of spirit or supernatural power; * 6% of Italians that they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God or supernatural power exists in any form. Saints Bernardino of Siena , Catherine of Siena and St. Francis of Assisi , the patron saints of Italy. Politics and government Polity The Chamber of Deputies , the Italian lower house The government is based on the constitution of 1948. The bicameral parliament consists of the Chamber of Deputies (630 members) and the Senate , which is composed of 315 members. Both chambers are elected every five years earlier on the basis of proportional representation , now based on a complex mix of proportional representation and a bonus for the winner in the various regions. Both chambers have equal powers. The Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister is directed must have the confidence of parliament. The head of state is the president , who is elected by Parliament in a joint session. The president has limited powers. Political History Italian politics was from WWII long dominated by three parties: the Communist PCI , with the beginning of the 70s 34% of the voters behind them, and the Christian Democratic Democratic Party , then 39% and the Social Democratic PSI (Partito Socialista Italiana). The fear of the Communist Party was one of the factors that helped the DC from 1947 to 1992 to stay in the saddle in various coalition programs, often in conjunction with the PSI. Then prime minister Aldo Moro was in the 70's one of the few who understood that the exclusion of the PCI for the government also meant a continued exclusion of a large part of the electorate. He made attempts to reach a so-called historic compromise with the PCI. However, he was in 1978 by the Red Brigades kidnapped and killed, and the idea was not proceeded further. In a final attempt to save the "old" political system in 1984, the PSI socialist Bettino Craxi prime minister, who for the first time in postwar history as well as the entire term government could hold together. After that, however, was a series of corruption scandals to light, although exceeded all parties, but especially the DC and the PSI Craxi plunged into a deep crisis. Eventually this crisis even led to the elimination of both the DC and the PSI in 1992-1994. This operation "Maní pulite" (clean hands) in 1992 initiated after the discovery by investigating magistrate Antonio Di Pietro of massive political corruption (Tangentopoli, bribe City) in Milan , based on the investigations of the murder of judge and mafia fighter Falcone . The result was that the electoral system was completely reformed (especially in a majority system with district system) and the political situation was at once completely shaken. From the 90 Italian politics is dominated by a right hand block, with Forza Italia (the party of Silvio Berlusconi), the separatist and xenophobic Northern League of Umberto Bossi and the post-fascist Alleanza Nazionale . In contrast, a center-left block (= Ulivo), currently headed by former European Commission President Romano Prodi . President until early 2015 was Giorgio Napolitano , even leftist garnish : he belongs to the party Democrats of the Left . Since 14 January of that year Senate president holds Pietro Grasso this function as a temporary transitional measure. Center-left won on 9 and 10 April 2006 nipped the elections and prevented that shortly before that cases right Berlusconi government got a new term. This had followed a populist neo-liberal / conservative politics and was once plagued by allegations of corruption, especially at the address of Prime Minister Berlusconi. He'd committed tax fraud and judges have been bribed as leader of his business empire. However, he put himself beyond prosecution by a law that provides the premier immunity as long as he is in office. Meanwhile, all corruption cases against him as well as time-barred. Berlusconi also received sharp criticism because he owns three commercial television as a media monopoly that he had abused. Moreover, he also purified as premier public broadcaster Rai overly critical journalists and program makers. After his 2006 election defeat Berlusconi made mention of fraud, but that turned out not care. Prodi narrowly won the election with 49.8% against 49.7%. The gain was due mainly thanks to the votes from abroad, Italians outside of Italy who had obtained for the first vote; a law change which incidentally especially right for years had advocated. Since the 2006 elections, the country was then ruled by the center-left government of Romano Prodi, which, however, ruled in a constant state of crisis the country since the majority in parliament (especially in the Senate) was so small that the regular trust issue at stake was to really all voices from the left with a vote in favor of the proposed government decisions. Eventually, the government would fall on 24 January 2008 after the little party UDEUR (3 seats in the Senate) headed by Minister Mastella withdrew his support. This government could no longer rely on a majority in the Senate and Prodi had to offer his resignation to President Napolitano. The latter decided, after a failed attempt at the formation of an interim government to hold elections for April 2008. After the fall of the Prodi government the right engine was still led by Silvio Berlusconi. The left bloc led by Walter Veltroni , former mayor of Rome and leader of the then newly created Partito Democratico (PD). The consituerende parts of the PD (including also the largest as DS and Margherita) have committed themselves in a rise in the new PD. At center-right side also created a large new party, which includes Forza Italia and Alleanza Nazionale have merged. Led by Silvio Berlusconi took The People of Freedom Party up against Veltroni's PD in the parliamentary elections of 2008. Berlusconi won the election with a comfortable lead Veltroni. He was therefore the third time Prime Minister of Italy. Berlusconi promised to resign if the reforms were imposed were actually fulfilled by the European Union. Following the adoption of a package of austerity measures through parliament Berlusconi kept his promise: he offered his resignation to President Napolitano, the loud cheers of his opponents. This then asked former EU Commissioner Mario Monti to form a government of technocrats . On November 16, 2011 stated that the last government, in which he became Prime Minister and Minister of Economy. After the 2013 elections , there was a political stalemate. In the House of Representatives was the Democratic Party the most votes, while in the Senate there was no majority for the Democratic Party. Help from the coalition of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (The People of Freedom Party) or the Movimento 5 Stelle comedian Beppe Grillo was excluded. A government can not take office if it knows a majority in both chambers to obtain a vote of confidence. President Napolitano could write no new elections, because as president he was in his last months. In the election of a new president was again a deadlock, since no candidate won a majority. Napolitano, 87 years old, offered to fulfill a second term, after which he took out a majority and as such was reelected. He appointed Enrico Letta Rupo to form a new government. The Democratic Party, the coalition of Berlusconi and the coalition of former Prime Minister Mario Monti are willing to lend their support to this government. On April 28, 2013 Nicoletta was appointed prime minister of Italy. In February 2014 Nicoletta tendered his resignation after his own party led by Matteo Renzi withdrew confidence in him. Renzi was appointed by the President to the formateur of a new cabinet. On February 22, 2014 Matteo Renzi was sworn in as prime minister of Italy. Administrative division Map of the 20 regions of Italy The country is divided into 20 regions , in which a total of 110 regions are subdivided. These 20 regions also have parliaments and governments. As a result of a referendum in 2002 that increased the regional powers, the federal government is responsible for foreign relations and national defense, public order and justice, electoral and environmental issues. Five regions have autonomous status: Sicily (Sicilia) - Sardinia (Sardegna) - Aosta Valley - Trentino-Alto Adige ( Trentino-Alto Adige ) - Friuli-Venezia Giulia . The other regions are: Piedmont ( Piemonte ) - Lombardy ( Lombardia ) - Liguria ( Liguria ) - Veneto - Emilia-Romagna - Tuscany ( Toscana ) - Umbria ( Umbria ) - Marches (Marche ) - Latium ( Lazio ) - Abruzzo ( Abruzzo ) - Molise - Campania ( Campania ) - Apulia ( Puglia ) - Basilicata - Calabria ( Calabria ). Economy Activity Petrochemical industry in Syracuse Italy is the fifth largest economy of the G8 (the richest countries in the world), the seventh largest economy measured by nominalgross national product (GNP =) and the tenth on the basis of purchasing power parity or purchasing power parity (PPP =); the sixth exporter of the world and the second in the EU (after Germany); one of the founders and the third net contributor to the European Union (after Germany and France); the fourth gold reserve in the world (2451.8 tons). Despite great differences between the industrialized north and the rural south, Italy had in 2011 with 8.4% a relatively low unemployment rate compared to neighboring France (9.1%) and Slovenia (11%). The country began to industrialize late in comparison with other European nations, and the Second World War was largely an agricultural country. However, after the Second World War Italy rapidly transformed from an agrarian country to a modern industrial nation. Between 1950 and 1980, Italy saw its GDP per capita increased by 200%. The 50s and 60s of this period are known as the years of the Italian economic miracle . After 1980, the national debt and the unemployment rate rose, which led to the GDP growth fell to 1.3% per year. Late 80s, restored the Italian economy again gradually. In this period, the GDP growth to 3.3% and inflation fell to 6.5%. However, the unemployment rate remained relatively high as the national debt . With the rise of the tertiary sector (such as banking and insurance ), this percentage decreased again. In contrast, the share of this sector in employment has steadily increased (61.2% in 1998) and they had in the 90's for more than 60% of the gross domestic product (GDP =). In the same 90 years has the Italian industry a share of 35% in annual GDP and provides 32% of employment. Italian agriculture is taking a share of less than 4% of GDP and employment in the sector decreases (5.9% in 1998). The main agricultural products are fruits, sugar beets, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, soybeans, olives and olive oil, and livestock (mainly cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats). Moreover, many homegrown wine produced. There is a small fishing industry, wherein the Adriatic Sea plays an important role.One catches include anchovies, sardines, tuna, squid and crustaceans. Tourism, like here at Ortona , is an important source of income The industry is concentrated in the north, especially in the "golden triangle" of Milan-Turin-Genoa. The Italian economy has gradually transformed from food and textile towards technology, steel and chemical products. Main products are iron, steel and other metal products, refined petroleum; chemical products; electrical and non-electrical machinery; motor vehicles; textiles and clothing; printed materials; plastic. Although many of the major industries of Italy nationalized, has in recent years been an important movement toward privatization. The role of the Italian Government , however, is still characteristic of the economy. SMEs are the "engine" of the Italian economy. Often about family, established especially in the 80's. During this period the Italian economy experienced a difficult time.This shift in the Italian company came primarily by changing consumer behavior and the lack of flexibility of the Italian multinational, just to was due to the familism . The small and medium enterprises, mostly in so-called " Italian industrial districts "(Distretti industriali) are found, this mass did not need, but on the contrary were specialized in specific markets. Italy has a large foreign trade. The main export products are: textiles, clothing, metal, machinery, vehicles and chemicals; The main imports are machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food, nutrients and minerals (especially petroleum). Tourism is also an important source of income. Its main trading partners are Germany , France, the United States and the United Kingdom . The Italian infrastructure , especially in the south, has improved in the postwar years. Contrast between North and South The Italian economy is known for its great wealth and development gap between the north and south. The reasons are mainly related to the different historical development, geographical location and the physical environment. Of these two areas, the north is the most prosperous: it has the best land, the main port ( Genoa ) and the largest industrial centers. Northern Italy also has a thriving tourist trade on the Italian Riviera , in the Alps (including the Dolomites) and along the shores of its beautiful lakes (Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, Lago D'Iseo and Garda). The country suffers from the influence of the mafia . In Italy, in particular on the Sicilian Mafia ( Cosa Nostra ), Neapolitan (the Camorra ), the 'Ndrangheta (active in Calabria ) and the Sacra Corona Unita (active inApulia ). The presence of these organizations, especially in the south, may be associated with the economic problems in southern Italy compared with the north. Since the 50s trying the Italian government through a development fund for the South ( Cassa per il Mezzogiorno ) to close the wealth gap with the north. In the beginning this was done by the agricultural sector to modernize and improve the Italian infrastructure. When it became clear that this way of investing jobs properly scaled, shifted to an emphasis on rapid industrialization of the area. Although the backwardness of the south compared to the north could not eliminate, the income level in southern Italy has increased. The growth of the Italian economy after the Second World War has therefore mainly taken place in the north of the country. Industrial complexes in the South are often laborious and static structure, and can often only through state survival. An example is the creation of the Alfa Romeo and Alfa Sud-South factory by the Italian government in Pomigliano d'Arco , near Naples, later privatized by FIAT . Due to this unfavorable economic development related to the South is the wealth gap between North and South increased significantly. Art and culture Four well-known Italian writers, clockwise from top left: Machiavelli , Dante , Goldoniand Petrarch The most famous cultural period in Italian history, the Italian Renaissance . Inspired by the culture of the Greeks and Romans strove writers, architects and artists seek to surpass their ancient examples. Treatments of Renaissance literature usually begin in the proto renaissance with Petrarch (1304-1374). He was known for his Canzoniere, elegant sonnets in the vernacular, and was one of the first frantic manuscript collectors among the Italian humanists . His friend and contemporary Boccaccio was the author of the Decameron . Famous vernacular poets of the 15th century are Luigi Pulci (author of Morgante) , Matteo Maria Boiardo (Orlando Innamorato), and Ludovico Ariosto ( Orlando Furioso ). 15th-century writers such as the poet Poliziano and the Platonist philosopher Ficino made translations from both Latin and Greek texts. In the early 16th century put Castiglione in his (Book of the Courtier) his vision of the ideal gentleman and lady, while Machiavelli in The Prince (Il principe ') the powers that a picture of (political) virtue for mirrored by old and modern examples of virtù (virtue) to compare. Italian Renaissance painting exercised even after centuries, a dominant influence on European painting, with artists such as Giotto di Bondone , Masaccio , Piero della Francesca , Domenico Ghirlandaio , Pietro Perugino , Michelangelo ,Raphael , Botticelli , Leonardo da Vinci and Titian . The same is true for architecture, as practiced by Brunelleschi , Alberti Leone, Andrea Palladio , and Bramante . Some of their major works are the Santa Maria del Fiore , the Florence Cathedral , the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Tempio Malatestiano in Rimini , just to name a few from a long list which includes sumptuous private belong villas of wealthy clients. Finally, it is also the Aldine printing press, founded by the Venice active printer Aldus Manutius , very important. Manuzio developed namely Italic font as well as the small, relatively portable and inexpensive printed book. He also was the first to publish books in Ancient Greek. Museums Italy has many renowned museums . These were the best attended in 2012: Uffizi , Palazzo Ducale , Galleria dell'Accademia , Castello di Miramare , Palazzo Reale, Milan , Palazzo Strozzi , Museo di Capodimonte ,Castel Sant 'Angelo , Palazzo Pitti and Altare della Patria . 8 Literature The Italian literature emerged in the early 12th century, somewhat late compared to literature from other Romance languages such as French . The longer preservation of Latin in Italy played a major role and regionalism characterized by the diversity of dialects. Known names in Italian literature among others Dante ( Divine Comedy ), Boccaccio ( Decameron ), Niccolò Machiavelli , Ludovico Ariosto , Gabriele D'Annunzioand Sibilla Aleramo . The following Italian writers won the Nobel Prize for Literature : Giosuè Carducci , Grazia Deledda , Luigi Pirandello , Salvatore Quasimodo , Eugenio Montale and Dario Fo . Motion Picture What is known worldwide, is the Italian film . In the 1960s began the real heyday of Italian film directors like Federico Fellini , Michelangelo Antonioni and Luchino Visconti . Fellini made in 1960, the classic La Dolce Vita and Marcello Mastroianni , Sophia Loren and Giulietta Masina were international stars. Sergio Leone 's spaghetti westerns of the film music of Ennio Morricone had an understanding. In recent decades , there are occasional success with award winning films like La vita è bella , Il Postino and The Great Beauty . Italian films are closely linked to the Italian society and the filmmakers also their personal artistic vision thereon. Gastronomy The pizza is an Italian dish, but is now eaten all over the world Italy is well known for its pasta 's, ice cream and pizza and continue to be good tomatoes (pomodori =) and olives. Also there is a lot of coffee and wine drinking. Each region has its culinary specialties and wines of Tuscany which are the best known. Eating Italy falls under the Mediterranean cuisine . The Italian breakfast is usually simple and often includes coffee or coffee with milk accompanied by bread, butter and jam . Both in the afternoon and the evening eat one hot dinner, depending on the region, often eaten around eight o'clock. Sport Football is the main sport in Italy. There are many football clubs, of which the best known SSC Napoli , Juventus , AC Milan , AS Roma , Lazio and Inter Milan are. Thenational football team four times (1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006) became world champion. In 1968, Italy became European champion. In addition, cycling is particularly popular: the Giro d'Italia , the Tour of Italy, together with the Tour de France and the Vuelta one of the three major stage races. What is also popular in Italy, the motor sports. Especially the Moto GP, with among others. Valentino Rossi , and the Formula 1 , with the Italian car manufacturer Ferrari A famous basketball player is Marco Belli Nelli . He plays for the New Orleans Hornets in the American NBA . Media The sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport The major Italian newspapers are: La Repubblica (circulation 626,000), Corriere della Sera (715,000) and La Stampa (500,000). The main left-wing newspapers L'Unitàand Il Manifesto . Il Giornale (300,000, owned by Berlusconi) belongs to the right colored papers, as well as Libero and Il Foglio . There are many large regional newspapers; the most authoritative magazine in Rome's Il Tempo (243.500) next to Il Messaggero (230,000). Il Sole 24 Ore (330,000) is the main Italian business newspaper. La Gazzetta dello Sport is a large and well-known daily sports newspaper with a circulation of about 400,000. There are seven major national television three of which are owned by the state, the RAII which includes ( Rai Uno , Rai Due and Rai Tre ) three owned by Silvio Berlusconi, media magnate and politician, namely ( Canale 5 , Italia 1 , Rete 4 ) and there is a channel, La7 , which is owned by Telecom Italia Media . The theme channels MTV (Telecom Italia and MTV Networks / Viacom) and Deejay TV (L'Espresso) are national, while channels like 7Gold, SuperSix and bring OdeonTV and other syndicated programs semi nationally. There are three national public radio stations: Rai Radio 1, which is dedicated to information and reports, Rai Radio 2 is aimed at an audience of young people and young adults, Rai Radio 3 is cultural. The national commercial radio stations are divided into various categories. There are stations that combine music and news, such as RTL 102.5 , a music channel. The biggest competitor is RTL 102.5 Radio Dimensione Suono , also a music channel. Radio Capital (of L'Espresso ) is based on the same principle. Radio Monte Carlo offers classical music and is aimed at an audience of young adults. KissKiss focuses more on entertainment and comedy programs. Radio DeeJay (L'Espresso, the most listened commercial radio station), Radio 105 and Radio Italia Network focus primarily on young people. Radical Radio is a news channel that is very focused on politics, the transmitter is therefore in the possession of the party Lista Pannella . Popolare Network and CNR only bring news. Radio 24 (launched by the newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore ) is based only on information and news, with virtually no music. Vatican Radio broadcasts worldwide via satellite, while receiving the FM only at regional level. Vatican Radio brings a lot of news, which really focused on abroad. Radio Maria broadcasts mostly religious prayers and cultural programs. Education and science There are many universities in Italy, including Bari, Bologna, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Pisa, Florence, Turin, Padua, Palermo, Salerno, Rome and Verona. Traffic and transport Italy has several airports like in Milan, Bologna, Pisa, Florence, Rome and Naples. Furthermore, there is a good railway network, for which Trenitalia is responsible. In the cities there are trams (trolley) buses and subways. The road network is well developed, albeit taxed properly, especially in the north of the country. Category:Italy Category:Country